Descriptions of prior art trombones in general and B-flat bass slide trombones in particular are provided, for example, in the “The Art of Trombone Playing”, copyright 1963 (Summy Birchard, Evanston, Ill.) by E. Kleinhammer.
FIG. 1A represents a prior art B-flat tenor trombone including a mouthpiece (1,2,3) with stem (4), sometimes also referred to as a shank (4) fitted into a receiver (5) which is coupled to a variable length telescoping hand slide section (74), which is further coupled to a bell section comprising tube (18), tubular tuning slide bow (20), braces (25, 26, 27), tubular bell throat (23), and bell flare (24). FIG. 1B represents a prior art piston valve B-flat tenor trombone in which there are three piston valves (46–48) and three secondary length extension tubing loops (32, 35, 37). FIG. 1C shows the piston valve tenor trombone from an angle where the tubing loops (32, 35, 37) are more visible. FIG. 1D is a three valve B-flat “marching” trombone which is coiled in the manner of a trumpet, but is pitched in 108 inch B-flat and exhibits bores, a bell flare diameter, and tone qualities characteristic of a small bore tenor trombone. FIG. 2 shows details of a trombone mouthpiece, including a rim (2) against which a performer's lips are pressed, a cup (107) which receives a stream of vibrating air projected through a thin vibrating slit aperture formed between a center segment of the performer's lips, and a throat (108), thru-bore (109), and tapered backbore (110) through which the stream of vibrating air is projected as it enters the variable length telescoping hand slide section (74) shown earlier in FIG. 1A or as the vibrating air stream enters the stationary U-tube (74) and valve section (74A) shown in FIGS. 1B–C. The total tubing length, including bell throat (23) and bell flare (24) of a FIG. 1A B-flat tenor slide trombone is approximately 108 inches with the telescoping hand slide fully compressed to its shortest length (first slide position), the 108 inch length dimension determining the basic fundamental musical pitch or “key” of the trombones to be B-flat. Perspective in FIGS. 1A–B is from the trombone side proximal to player's head and looking back from a viewer position slightly forward of the right side of player's head and somewhat above the player's lips which are placed (1) at mouthpiece rim (2).
FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate the disassembled component parts of a variable length telescoping hand slide section from the tenor trombone of FIG. 1A. An inner slide section (112) is illustrated in FIG. 3A comprising two essentially straight, substantially cylindrical inner slide tubes (113) held precisely parallel to one another by rigid brace (77) at a certain center to center offset distance. An outer slide section is further illustrated (FIG. 3B) comprising two essentially straight, substantially cylindrical outer slide tubes (74) held precisely parallel to one another by rigid brace (75) and curved tubular “crook” (218), forming a U-tube. The two outer slide tubes (74) are offset from one another by a center to center distance essentially equal to the certain center to center offset distance of the inner slide tubes (113) of the inner slide section (112), and the outer slide tubes (74) exhibit an inside diameter which is larger than the outside diameter of the indicated slightly enlarged o.d. stockings (114) of the inner slide section (112), the inside diameter of the outer slide tubes (74) being larger than the o.d. stockings (114) of the inner slide section (112) by a diameter increment in a range of 0.001 inch to 0.010 inch, and commonly being larger by a diameter increment of 0.007 inch to 0.008 inch, such that the outer slide section U-tube (FIG. 3B) may be slid freely onto the inner slide section (FIG. 3A), such that inner slide stockings (114) and tubes 113 are fully or partially inserted into the open ends (115) of outer slide section tubes (74).
The degree of the full or partial insertion of the inner slide tubes (113, 114) into the outer slide tubes (115, 74) yields an overall telescoping hand slide assembly length which may be varied to produce musical pitch alteration by a performer who holds inner slide brace (77) stationary in one hand and manipulates outer slide brace (75) to alter the degree of the full or partial insertion of the inner slide section into the outer slide section. Essentially, the inner slide section remains stationary during musical performance, and the outer slide section is telescopically slid by hand manipulation of the outer slide brace (75) to effect the desired musical pitch change according to pitch change requirements of a musical composition or musical improvisation being performed. The curved slide crook (218) indicated in FIG. 3B connects the remote ends of tubes (74) so that vibrating air is transmitted throughout the variable length, telescoping hand slide U-tube assembly, and the 0.007 inch to 0.008 inch diameter increment between the inside diameter or bore of the outer slide tubes (74) and the outside diameter of the inner slide stockings (114) is sufficient to maintain a non-leaking sliding air seal along the length of the inner slide stockings (114) regardless of the degree to which the telescoping length of the variable length telescoping hand slide assembly is adjusted by the performer. It should be noted that the length of the variable length telescoping hand slide assembly is such that the performer's arm is not long enough to accidentally push the outer slide section off the ends of the inner slide stockings (114) in performance, though the performer must remember not to “let go” of the brace (75) lest the outer slide section, in fact, fall off the ends of the inner slide stockings of its own accord, rendering the instrument temporarily inoperable, if not permanently damaged. Typically, only young beginning trombone students make this particular mistake.
Typically, a light oil, or a sparingly applied lubricant cream-and-water, or other lubricant and water mixture is applied to at least stockings (114) before assembling the outer slide section onto the inner slide section, and the water lubricant component of the cream or other lubricant and water lubricant may be periodically replenished by the performer by spraying the water lubricant onto exposed sections of the inner slide section tubes (113), when the outer slide section is telescopically extended partially or near to the fullest extension length possible with the outer slide assembly, without removing the outer slide assembly from the inner slide assembly, the water lubricant replenishment being performed prior to performance, during performance intermission, between performance numbers, or during “rest” periods when the bass trombone performer is not performing, and the replenished water lubricant excess automatically running down from exposed tubes (113) to hidden stockings (114) when the outer slide section is slid back and forth with the trombone slide being held with the crook (218) at a point lower than the brace (75).
A spring loaded excess water-and-spit emptying port (225) often called a “water key” or “spit key” or “spit valve” is normally provided on the crook (218) in FIG. 3B, and this allows periodic emptying of accumulated water and spit during musical “rest” periods, to avoid any unpleasant “gurgling” or “cracking” sounds which may otherwise detract from the quality of a musical performance.
One feature which distinguishes B-flat bass slide trombones from B-flat tenor slide trombones is that the inside diameter of inner slide tubes (113) is typically larger for the B-flat bass trombones than for the B-flat tenor trombones. The B-flat tenor trombones typically have inner slide tubes (113) with inside diameters or bores ranging from 0.470 inch to 0.547 inch, with typical inner slide tube bores of certain models of the B-flat tenor trombone having common values of approximately 0.470 inch, 0.481 inch, 0.490 inch, 0.500 inch, 0.508 inch, 0.509 inch, 0.525 inch, and 0.547 inch, defining a series of small bore (0.470–0.509 inch) tenor trombones, a medium bore (0.525 inch) tenor trombone, a large bore (0.547 inch) tenor trombone, and a few dual bore tenor trombones using two different bores selected from the above typical values such as 0.481/0.490 inch, 0.500/0.508, 0.508/0.525 inch, and 0.525/0.547 inch dual bores, as well as one additional large dual inner bore (0.547/0.562 inch) tenor trombone slide. This series of bores and dual bores offers a range of available tenor trombone tone qualities (timber or tamber) which are often described as being “brighter”, “lighter”, “brassier”, “thinner”, and more “brilliant” for the smaller bores and described as “darker”, “heavier”, “broader”, “fuller”, “warmer”, and more “sonorous” for the larger bores. The smaller bore tenor trombones are typically used for “lead” (first) trombone playing in jazz bands and jazz combos, whereas the larger bore tenor trombones are more typically used by the first and second chair trombonists of symphony orchestras, classical brass quintets, wind ensembles, concert bands, and for classical tenor trombone solo works. A distinguishing feature of the B-flat bass slide trombones is therefore a larger yet inner slide tube bore of typically 0.562 inch or 0.565 inch in both inner slide tubes, which provides a substantially “darker”, “heavier”, “fuller”, “deeper bass”, and more “sonorous” yet tone quality desired in lower octave playing by fourth or fifth trombonists in jazz bands, and by 3rd trombonists in wind ensembles, concert bands, and symphony orchestras, and by all performers of classical bass trombone solo works. Additional B-flat bass slide trombone prior art includes several models of dual bore variable length telescoping hand slide assembly, in which a first encountered inner slide tube (219) bore is 0.562 inch and a second encountered inner slide tube (220) bore is 0.578 inch, such as the model B62-78 dual bore B-flat bass trombone slide of S.E. Shires Co., Hopedale, Mass., U.S.A, which may be designated as a 0.562/0.578 inch dual bore slide. A smaller variant would be the S.E. Shires TB47-62 (0.547/0.562 inch) dual bore slide or the 0.547/0.567 inch dual bore slide currently manufactured by Thein, Bremen Germany. The S.E. Shires TB47-62 (0.547/0.562 inch) dual bore slide is used either for the smallest size of bass trombone, or it may be used for the largest size of orchestral tenor trombone. In this case, the factor determining whether the trombone is classified as a tenor trombone or a bass trombone is determined by the below described valve section bore and below described bell sizes, with smaller valve section bores and smaller bell sizes defining a large dual bore orchestral tenor trombone, and the larger valve section bores and larger bell sizes defining a small dual bore bass trombone.
The telescoping hand slide assembly is the primary, most frequently manually manipulated pitch altering means which musicians use to alter the pitch of the trombone from its fundamental B-flat pitch in order to deliver a full chromatic scale of pitches available in half step musical increments over the approximate 4 to 5 octave range of accessible trombone pitches. Trombonists also alter pitch by deliberately varying and controlling lip vibrational frequencies with which they modulate the air stream projected into the trombone, but this is a human function rather than an equipment function, and it only produces a series of discrete, quantified overtones and partials which do not cover all tones on the chromatic scale. A combination of controlled variation in lip vibrational frequency (choice of overtone) and controlled manipulation of the telescoping hand slide assembly is the primary means which trombonists use to alter the pitch of the trombone to deliver a full chromatic scale of pitches in musical half-step increments over the full 4 to 5 octave pitch range of the trombone.
FIGS. 1B and 1C show different views of a small bore, B-flat valve trombone (often simply referred to as a “valve trombone”), in which the long pipes (74) are fixed (non-moving, non-telescoping), no inner slide tubes exist, and pitches are lowered by depressing various combinations of three piston valves (46, 47, 48), to which extra tubing “loops” (37, 32, 35) are attached to each valve. Engaging one or more of the three piston valves (46–48) diverts air from the main path (5, 74, 74A, 35B, 32B, 18) into one or more of the three secondary length extension tubing loops (32, 35, 37), each of which (if selected) adds length to the main 108 inch B-flat air path and then returns the diverted air to continue in the main path or on to the next loop, if selected. Hook 135 is for the “little” finger to help stabilized the hand and also to help hold the valve trombone up.
FIG. 3C is an enlarged, exploded view of one piston valve. Key 120 and mating slot (121) ensure that the valve piston (122) may only be assembled into housing (123) in the indicated zero-degree orientation. The other two nonfunctional orientations shown (90 degree L and 90 degree R) are simply for reader inspection, in different views, of the hole pattern existing through the piston body (122). When the valve is assembled, by inserting the spring (124) and piston (122) into housing (123) with key (120) engaging slot (121), and tightening threaded cap (125) onto thread (126), the piston (122) is held at the top of the housing by spring (124), until the performer depresses key pad (127).
If key pad (127) is not depressed, then angled through-bore (128) of the piston body (122) is the only active piston passage, and it connects pipe (129) directly to (130), which is the main Bb air path of the trombone. In this configuration, any valve tubing loop connected to tubes (131, 132) will be excluded from the resonant path, and the pitch will not be altered from Bb.
If key (127) is fully depressed, piston passages (133, 134) become active. Passage (134) internally connects tube (129) to tube (132). Passage (133) internally connects tube (131) to tube (130). If an external tubing loop (135) is also connected from tube (132) to tube (131), as indicated by a dashed tube outline (135) in FIG. 3C, then this extra loop will be added “in series” to the main air path, such that vibrating air will enter the valve at (129), exit at (132), travel through loop (135), re-enter the valve at (131), and exit again to the main path at (130).
It should be noted that only one configuration of piston valve is shown in FIG. 3C. Other configurations may include external tubes departing at different angles than shown, mirror images of the valve shown, raising or lowering the bore patterns along the height of piston body (122) and external ports along the height of the valve casing (123), use of other bore patterns altogether, to achieve desired routing, and use of additional bores to effect an alternate tuning “compensation path” (not shown here; see FIG. 14C and a later section on compensated euphoniums and see also www.dwerden.com/comp/compensation.asp for 4-valve euphonium “compensation path”). The valve of FIG. 3C, is just one example of a variety of possible valve configurations. In addition, the entire valve and housing may be rotated from the position shown in the figure.
Referring back to FIG. 1B, Valve (46) differs from FIG. 3C in that the entire 1B (46) valve is rotated 135 degrees clockwise (about an axis “normal” to the figure plane) from FIG. 3C, and the piston passages and housing tubes are located closer to the bottom of the piston stroke. FIG. 1B Valve (47) is also rotated 135 degrees CW and it is further a “mirror image” of the valve in FIG. 3C. FIG. 1B Valve (48) is like valve (46), except that it is rotated 180 degrees about its own axis.
In FIGS. 1B and 1C, fully depressing valve key (47) alone, adds loop (35) to the main resonant air path, lowering the pitch from the B-flat fundamental to an “A”. Depressing valve key (46) alone, adds a longer loop (32) to the main path, lowering the pitch further to “A-flat”. Depressing valve key (48) alone, adds the longest single loop (37) to the main path and lowers the pitch to “G”. To reach G-flat, valve keys (47, 48) would be simultaneously depressed, adding both loops (35 and 37) to the main path. By directing the sound through an extra coiled tubing length, or including various combinations of 1, 2, or 3 of the loops placed “in series” with the basic B-flat tubing by depressing appropriate valve keys, and through use of a variety of lip vibration overtones as mentioned earlier, a full range of chromatic tones, equivalent to the earlier telescoping slide of FIGS. 1A, 3A and 3B, may be produced by the valve trombone. Only the continuous slide “glissando” sound (or trombone “smear”) cannot be reproduced by the valve trombone.
Valve trombones were commonly used in the 19th century, but the advent of the slide trombone has largely replaced the valve trombone, owing to lighter weight, reduction in cost, and most importantly the tone quality and accuracy of pitch possible with the well-tuned slide trombone in the hands of a skilled performer, and also to a reduction in “tortuosity” and internal valve obstruction of the air path with the slide trombone. The valve interconnect tubing loops (32, 35, 37) used to lower pitches of the small bore valve trombone in FIGS. 1B and 1C and internal valve piston passages give rise to a tortuous path, with “tight bends” and sudden directional changes which increase blowing back-pressure within the B-flat tenor valve trombone, and make it more “stuffy” to blow and perform on, thereby adversely affecting tone quality and particularly in the lower performing octaves. The slide trombone exhibits a less tortuous air path and is thereby “freer blowing”, less stuffy, more responsive, and easier to produce a pleasing tone quality at the same bore, particularly in the lower octaves.
A trombone slide is however more awkward to move, and valve trombonists can often execute technically difficult passages more rapidly in medium range and higher octaves, due to the ease of depressing the valve keys while moving only one to three fingers within a short stroke distance, versus moving the slide up to 18 inches or more with the whole hand, wrist, arm, and shoulder all participating in the motion to some extent. In spite of this awkwardness of slide motion, the vast majority of today's trombonists overcome the slide motion awkwardness with intense practice, and are actually slide trombonists, with only a very few jazz artists such as the exceptionally gifted Rob McConnell (“Boss Brass”) performing beautifully on the Bb tenor valve trombone. It is important to this patent for the reader to understand and recognize that the prior art 108 inch B-flat valve trombone was only ever produced or described in the “small bore” (0.470 inch–0.500 inch) 3-valve tenor trombone format. B-flat valve trombones are sometimes used in school jazz bands by “extra” trumpet and baritone players in situations where slide trombonists are too few in number to “fill the ranks”.
Prior art also includes 108 inch three valve B-flat tenor marching trombones as shown in FIG. 1D. These are functionally the same as the three valve tenor trombone of FIGS. 1B and 1C, except that the tubing is coiled differently to make the marching trombone more compact. It is also small bore like the valve trombone and has never been described or produced in prior art with larger bores or with more than three valves to access the bass range from low E-flat to low B.
Modern B-flat piston valve trombones and marching valve trombones are tenor trombones and no recorded attempts have been made to produce them as bass trombones because their tubing and valve bore is too small (typically 0.470–0.525 inch bore) to allow responsive bass range playing, and especially because the use of only three valves precludes any access to the important bass range from low E-flat to low B-natural. Four valve, 108 inch (B-flat) valve trombones or marching trombones have not been described or produced in the realm of prior art. Prior art 108 inch B-flat bass trombones have all employed a telescoping hand slide rather than valves for primary pitch alteration.
Another feature distinguishing B-flat bass slide trombones from B-flat tenor trombones is the diameter of bell flare (24, see FIG. 1A) which ranges from about 7 inches to 8.5 inches for different models of the B-flat tenor trombone, and which ranges from about 9½ inches to 10½ inches in today's the B-flat bass trombones. Some earlier B-flat bass trombones have been made with even larger bell flares, but the larger bell flares are no longer commonly used.
Regardless of whether telescoping hand slides or three valved slideless trombones are considered, the above described primary means of pitch alteration actually do not cover all pitches between the extreme lowest pitch and the extreme highest pitch possible with the 108 inch B-flat trombone, because neither the tubing loops of a three valve trombone, nor the trombonist's arm and telescoping hand slide assembly are long enough to add tubing lengths necessary for performance of the range low E-flat to low B-natural, which is often referred to as the “missing” range or the “pedal gap” range of tenor valve trombones or tenor slide trombones. The missing pedal gap range still persists today for all 108 inch B-flat valve trombones and B-flat marching (valve) trombones.
To fill in the “missing” pedal-gap range for 108 inch B-flat slide trombones, and also to facilitate alternate slide positions in the main B-flat range, the alternate positions occasionally being useful in simplifying and shortening certain slide change motions of certain “difficult” musical passages which exhibit fast tempos and have “difficult” or extreme hand slide position changes in the normal performing range and which are particularly difficult to execute at fast musical tempos, one auxiliary rotary valve is often added to medium and large bore tenor slide trombones, and at least one and often two auxiliary rotary valves are normally added to the bass slide trombone. These added auxiliary valves are typically operated by the left hand while the telescoping hand slide is operated by the right hand. The valves used to facilitate insertion of one or two length extension tubing loops to lower the fundamental musical pitch of the instrument from the key of B-flat to F, G-flat, or D, and alternatively from B-flat to F, G, or E-flat, depending on the length of tubing loops inserted.
Auxiliary rotary air valves for slide trombones are therefore useful mechanisms that direct the air flow from the mouthpiece through either a main air passage or a secondary tubing loop which alters the total instrument air path length and effects a corresponding change in musical key. Descriptions of prior designs of auxiliary rotary air valves for slide trombones in general and B-flat bass slide trombones in particular are provided, for example, in the “The Art of Trombone Playing”, copyright 1963 (Summy Birchard, Evanston, Ill.) by E. Kleinhammer. Additional background information on prior art B-flat bass trombone valves and valve sections, which describe rotary valve configurations with relatively unobstructed valve air flow, may be found, for example, in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,686,678, 4,112,806, 4,127,052, 4,213,371, 4,299,156, 4,469,002, 4,905,564 of Greenhoe and of O. E. Thayer, respectively.
FIG. 4A shows that either B-flat tenor or B-flat bass slide trombones may have an alternative length extended air path comprising tubes (86–88) which may be added as a loop in series to the main B-flat air path via engagement of auxiliary rotary valve (85) which, when engaged via left thumb trigger lever and linkage (84)—see also FIGS. 4B–D (items 181–187, and 200–202 for a more detailed example of an F thumb trigger and rotary valve linkage) interrupts the main B-flat air path at tube (82) in FIG. 4A and diverts the vibrating air flow to tube 86, proceeding to tubular bow (87) and then tubing bend (88) and the vibrating air flow is then restored by the valve (85) back to the main air path at tube (83), proceeding on to tubular tuning slide bow (20) and hollow bell throat (23) and tubular bell flare (24) from which musical tones are finally projected to the listening audience. Left thumb actuation (84, 181) engages the valve (85, 170) producing the diversion of the vibrating air stream through the alternative length extension tubing loop (86–88, or 172–175) and increases the total air path length of the trombone, altering the fundamental musical key of the trombone to, most commonly, the musical key of F, and less commonly the musical key of E, depending on the length of the alternative length extension tubing loop (86–88, or 172–175). If the length of the alternative length extension tubing loop (86–88, or 172–175) is approximately 36 inches, then the total air path length with thumb trigger (84, 181) depressed to engage the valve (85, 170) and add the alternative length extension tubing loop in series to the main 108 inch air path becomes a total of approximately 144 inches which corresponds to the musical key of F. When the thumb trigger (84, 181) is released, spring 201 restores the linkage (181–187) and the valve (85, 170) to its disengaged state, and the alternative length extension tubing loop (86–88, or 172–175) is bypassed with the vibrating air stream proceeding directly from main path tube section (82 or 171) to section (83 or 176) without traversing the alternative extension tubing loop (86, 87, 88, or 172, 173, 174, 175), and the overall path length in this instance is restored to the approximate 108 inch main path length, with the fundamental musical key of the FIGS. 4A–D prior art trombone being restored to B-flat.
It should be noted that the indicated B-flat total air path length of approximately 108 inches and the indicated alternative key of F total air path length of approximately 144 inches is with the variable length telescoping hand slide assembly (74, 75) in a fully compressed state, exhibiting shortest possible length corresponding to what is termed by trombone players as “slide position number 1” or “first position”. Chromatic pitch alteration within the fundamental B-flat configuration or the valve actuated alternative key of F configuration to produce music in any pitch on the chromatic scale and within performing range of the trombone is further accomplished by moving the right hand operated outer hand slide assembly (74, 75) in selected increments over an approximate 18 inch range of linear assembly motion which yields an approximate 36 inch range of air path extension, in combination with engagement or disengagement of the valve (85, 170) via the left thumb trigger (84, 181). The “missing” or “pedal gap” range from low E-flat to low B-natural is thereby filled in, and a variety of alternate hand slide positions in the main performing range is further created by use of this valve section, which enhances ease of performance and facilitates execution of technically more difficult musical passages in certain musical works by reducing the required motion of the hand slide in certain instances.
The above discussion of FIGS. 4A–D applies to selected models of medium and large bore B-flat tenor slide trombone, and to essentially all models of B-flat bass slide trombone. However, another distinguishing feature of B-flat bass slide trombones (versus B-flat tenor slide trombones with the indicated “F-attachment”) is that the B-flat prior art bass slide trombones will generally have a larger internal inner hand slide tube (113) and valve section bore such as 0.562 inch, 0.565 inch, 0.582 inch, 0.594 inch, 0.603 inch, and at most 0.625 inch bore for the valve (85, 170) and the alternative key of F tubing loop (86–88, or 172–175) in various brands and models of the prior art B-flat bass slide trombone, whereas these bores are relatively smaller for the B-flat tenor slide trombones employing F-attachment.
FIGS. 5A–D illustrate another distinguishing feature which an increasing number of models of B-flat bass slide trombone employ, the distinguishing feature being addition of a second valve (97 or 169) and a second alternative length extension tubing loop (99, 103, 100, 104, 101, or 177–179) which is shorter in length, being approximately 28 inches in length and converting the bass slide trombone to the key of G-flat when independently activated alone using left middle finger trigger (94; see especially FIGS. 5B–D, items 188–199 for a more detailed example of a left middle finger trigger and G-flat rotary valve linkage), or converts the bass slide trombone to the key of D when activated simultaneously with the first valve (85, 170) in FIGS. 5A–D. When both the FIGS. 5A–D valves (85, 97, or 170, 169) are simultaneously activated using both of the triggers (84, 95, or 181, 188) and attached rotary valve linkages, then both of the alternative path tubing loops (86–88 and 99, 103, 100, 104, 101, or 172–175 and 177–179) are placed in series with one another and in series with the main path tubing (82, 98, and 102 or 171, 176, and 180) to lengthen the overall air path such that the musical key is altered to either the key of D or the key of E-flat, depending on whether the length of the second alternative length extension tubing loop (99, 103, 100, 104, 101, or 177–179) is approximately 28 inches, corresponding to the key of G-flat, or the length extension tubing loop is shorter yet being approximately 20 inches long, and corresponding to the key of G, respectively. Only bass slide trombones are made with the two rotary valves. Tenor slide trombones have either no valve or just the one F-valve. Double valve bass slide trombones create a second set of alternative telescoping hand slide positions throughout the performing range, with the second set of alternative slide positions being particularly useful in lower octave playing, beginning for example with a low D (below the bass clef staff and progressing downward in half step increments to low B-natural or pedal B-flat (first B-flat below the bass clef staff). Additional double valve utility may be found from double pedal D (DD) to double pedal B-flat (BB-flat), although this range is rarely performed.
FIG. 6A illustrates the internal design, rotary linkage (184) connection (185), rotary stop (215), and cork or rubber stop pads (226) of the most commonly employed type of prior art rotary valve (85 and/or 97 in FIGS. 4A, 5A) shown in a bottom exploded FIG. 6A view. Rotary stop pads (226) engage rotary stop (215) at the ends of rotary travel of the valve and define two rotary operating positions in which the valve is either engaged or disengaged from an alternate external length extension tubing loop path. Rotary stop (215) of FIG. 6A is the same as rotary stops 186 and 198 in FIGS. 4C–D and 5C–D, however the FIG. 6A rotary stop pads (226) have been omitted for purposes of viewing clarity of other features in FIGS. 4B–D and 5B–D. The trombones of FIGS. 4B–D and 5B–D however typically have rotary stop pads (226) as in FIG. 6A, even though they are not shown in FIGS. 4B–D and 5B–D.
FIG. 6A also shows the rotor (147), cutaway air passages (148, 149), rotor spindles (227), spindle bushings (231, 232), thrust bearing (230), end plate (228) and performer neck guard cover (229). It should be noted that the most commonly employed prior art rotor (147) design in FIG. 6A provides an air path or air paths (rotor cutaways 148, 149 bounded by valve casing (151) cylindrical side wall (150)) which is/are only partially round, so a cross sectional shape mismatch occurs between the rotor air passages and the external round valve ports and tubing (221, 222) connections (See also round tubing connections 82, 86, 88, 98, 99, 101, and 102 in FIGS. 4A and 5A and round tube connections 171, 172, 175, 176, 177, 179, and 180 in FIGS. 4B–D and 5B–D). The cross sectional shape mismatch creates an approximate 30% air flow obstruction (148, 149) through the FIG. 6A most commonly used prior art valve rotor (147), regardless of whether the rotor position or the rotor positions are set for the main B-flat air path alone, or for the alternate F, G-flat, or D air paths. In the normal prior art B-flat bass trombone valve bores of 0.594 inch, or less, the 30% air flow obstruction is known to create back pressure, reduce performance responsiveness, and suppress certain desirable bass frequency overtones, creating the impression of “stuffiness” in the playing and the sound quality. The prior art FIG. 6A valve “stuffiness” is only overcome by the greatest of bass slide trombone performer skill, training, and effort, and is generally only overcome by the most accomplished of the performers, such that less accomplished performers do not sound nearly as good, and the less accomplished performers may feel frustrated in their low octave performing ability.
For the reasons of air flow obstruction and the performance stuffiness of the conventional prior rotary valve designs, many bass slide trombonists have for many years simply avoided using “independent” double valve bass trombones such as illustrated in FIGS. 5A–D, because the air flow obstruction and the performance stuffiness problems are twice as bad with two in-line independent valves as in FIGS. 5A–D, even in the key of B-flat when the FIGS. 5A–D valves (85, 97) are not engaged and the alternative F and the alternative G-flat length extension tubing loops (86–88 and 99, 103, 100, 104, 101) are completely bypassed, and many bass slide trombonists have therefore elected instead to use only a single valve bass slide trombone or a “dependent” double valve bass slide trombone in which the two valves are of the “dependent” double valve bass slide trombone, is not in the air path and the dependent path is not even accessible to an air flow until a first of the two valves of the dependent double valve bass slide trombone is engaged, such that only when the first valve is engaged does the second dependent valve receive any air flow, the prior art dependent double valve scenario having advantage over the prior art independent double valve system in that the extra stuffiness due to two valves is only encountered with both valves engaged in the dependent system, whereas both valves contribute to stuffiness problems all the time with the independent in-line double valve bass slide trombone. The dependent double valve B-flat bass slide trombone has, however, only two alternative fundamental keys, such as F and D or F and E-flat, whereas the FIGS. 5A–D independent double valve B-flat bass slide trombone may have three available keys, such as F, G-flat and D, or F, G, and E-flat, giving performers a greater range of available alternative slide positions to enhance ease of performance with fast moving, technically difficult musical passages.
More recent prior art rotary valve designs by, for example, Thayer (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,112,806, 4,127,052, 4,213,371, 4,299,156, 4,469,002, 4,905,564), Greenhoe (U.S. Pat. No. 5,686,678), the standard rotary valves of the S.E. Shires Co. (Hopedale, Mass., USA), and of Rene Hagmann (Geneve, CH) have alleviated the cross sectional shape mismatch between the FIG. 6 rotor (148, 149) and the external tubing connections (221, 222) such that back pressure has been reduced to varying degrees, but not completely eliminated in the B-flat bass slide trombones based on the prior art valve designs, prior art valve bores, and prior art slide bores. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,112,806, 4,299,156, and 4,469,002 to Thayer, for example, the rotary valve is used as positioned along the air flow path of a slide trombone, where the rotary valve serves to direct the air through either the main air conduit or to divert air into a secondary length extension tubing loop and thus back into the main air conduit and to the instrument bell. The rotary air valve is positioned in the air flow path with the valve apertures and conduits positioned generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the valve rotor. Also, the air flowing through a rotor conduit positioned along the axis of rotor rotation must turn radially and axially through the rotor before reaching the main bore.
More recent prior art rotary valve designs such as the “generic” curved tunnel design are shown in FIGS. 6B–C, which has elements of both Greenhoe and S.E. Shires designs. FIG. 6B shows two curved tunnels (148, 149) each directed back into the plane of the drawing with rotary linkage (184, 185, 215) positioning rotor (147) in the engaged second of two operating positions, such that one end (each) of both curved tunnels (148, 149) are visible. FIG. 6C shows the FIG. 6B valve with rotary linkage (184, 185, 215) positioning rotor (147) in the disengaged first of two operating positions such that both ends (149, 303) of the same curved tunnel (and only one tunnel) are visible. The curved tunnel FIGS. 6B–C valves are closer to “intact duct” valves and are substantially improved over the FIG. 6A straight tunnel prior art rotary valve design, and have reduced but not completely eliminated the need and the tendency for bass slide trombonists to limit themselves to single valve or dependent double valve bass slide trombones, such that sales and performance of the independent double valve bass slide trombone are gaining on the single valve bass slide trombone and are overshadowing sales of the dependent double valve bass slide trombone.
To begin detailed illustration of the operation of rotary valves in selecting between a main air path and a secondary length extension tubing loop path, FIG. 7A is a cutaway side view of a single F-valve section from FIGS. 4A–D. (See entry port 171, valve 170, exit port 176, and external length extension tubing loop 172–175 in FIGS. 4B–D, which is an external perspective view of the valve section represented in the cutaway side view of FIG. 7A.) The rotor (147) of FIG. 7A valve (170) is the type of rotor shown earlier in FIG. 6A. FIG. 7A shows the valve (170) in its disengaged first of two operating positions, in which vibrating air enters from the main instrument path (82) at port (171) and then simply skips directly through rotor passage 149, as indicated by the passage (149) arrow and exits the valve directly at 176 to continue in the main instrument path (83, 98), having completely bypassed external secondary length extension tubing loop (172–175) in this disengaged first of two valve operating positions.
FIG. 7B is the same as FIG. 7A, except that the valve has been “engaged” by rotating rotor 147 by 90 degrees counter clockwise in this non-limiting example. (Actually a clockwise rotation is also common, but not required, and a counterclockwise rotation is illustrative in this case, solely for the purpose of maintaining the same air passage numbers which were utilized in FIG. 6A, however a clockwise 90 degree rotation would serve the same air flow effect and is also commonly used in practice—this is not an important point). With the valve rotor (147) in the FIG. 7B illustrated engaged second of two rotary operating positions, main path air entering at 81 and 171 is diverted by rotor passage 148 to secondary length extension tubing loop 172–175. Air traversing this loop in the directions indicated by the FIG. 7B arrows re-enters the valve rotor at 175 and rotor passage 149 restores it to the main path flow at 176, 83, and 98.
FIG. 8A is the same as FIG. 7A, except that the FIG. 8A rotor (147) is an improved curved tunnel rotor of the type illustrated in FIGS. 6B and 6C. Rotor internal air passages (148, 149) are more clearly seen as curved tunnels in FIG. 8A. (FIGS. 6B–C also indicate that these curved tunnels (148, 149) are essentially round or only slightly elliptical in their cross-sectional aspect.)
FIG. 8B is the same as FIG. 7B, except that FIG. 8B rotor (147) is an improved rotor of the type illustrated in FIG. 6B. Rotor internal air passages (148, 149) are seen as curved tunnels in FIG. 8B. (FIGS. 6B–C also indicates that these curved tunnels (148, 149) are essentially round in their cross-sectional aspect.) FIG. 9A is the same as FIG. 8A, except that external secondary length extension tubing loop 172–175 is routed differently. It is connected the same, but the loop is simply bent in a different curve, which has no impact on musical key or pitch, especially considering that there is no air in the loop with the FIGS. 9A and 8A valves bypassing this loop altogether and proceeding directly from 171 to 176. Also shown in FIG. 9A is a second valve (169) such as would be employed in FIGS. 5A–D, however the secondary length extension tubing loop (172–175) routing has been altered in FIG. 9A to relieve mechanical interference between this loop and the second valve (169) tubing (177, 179). The secondary length extension loop (172–175) in FIG. 9A is bypassed and receives no air with valve 170 in its illustrated disengaged first of two rotary operating positions, as illustrated by the air flow arrows in the figure. Secondary length extension tubing connections (177, 179) to the second valve (169) have been omitted from the figure for simplicity of inspection of the rest of the figure. The second valve (169) is also shown in its disengaged first of two operating positions.
FIG. 9B is the same as FIG. 9A, except that the first valve rotor (147) has been rotated 90 degrees to divert air into and through the secondary extension tubing loop (172–175) with the valve in its engaged second of two rotary operating positions, as indicated by the air flow arrows in the figure. Such was also the valve operating and air flow condition in FIGS. 7B and 8B. Secondary length extension tubing connections (177, 179) to the second valve (169) have been omitted from the figure for simplicity of inspection of the rest of the figure. The second valve (169) is still shown in its disengaged first operating position.
FIG. 10A is the same as FIG. 9A, with addition of a second external secondary length extension tubing loop (177–179) attached to the second valve (169). Note that both valves (170, 169) are in their disengaged first of two rotary operating positions, such that air enters at 82 and skips directly through from 171 to 176 to 180 and bypasses both secondary length extension loops entirely, as indicated by the air flow directional arrows in the figure. In this case both valves are disengaged, both length extension tubing loops are bypassed, and the fundamental bass slide trombone key remains B-flat.
FIG. 10B is the same as 10A, except that only the first valve (170) has been rotated 90 degrees to its engaged second of two rotary operating positions. The second valve (169) remains in its disengaged first rotary operating condition. In this configuration the air flow direction arrows indicate that air is diverted from the entering main path (82, 171) through the first length extension tubing loop (172–175), which is typically approximately 36 inches long and is called the F loop or F length extension path, but air leaving the first valve (170) at 176 is not diverted by the second (disengaged valve (169), so it bypasses the second length extension tubing loop (177–179—called the G-flat loop for loop lengths of approximately 28 inches, or alternatively it is called the G loop for lengths of approximately 20 inches) in this case and simply skips directly from 176 to 180 and exits the valve to the main path continuation at 102. In this configuration, the bass slide trombone has been converted to the fundamental musical key of F.
FIG. 10C is the same as 10A, except that the second valve (169) has been engaged (second operating position) to divert main path air through the second external secondary length extension tubing loop (G-flat or G-loop, 177–179) as indicated by the air flow direction arrows. In this case the F-loop has been bypassed, but the G-flat (or G) loop has been activated, and the bass slide trombone has been converted to the fundamental musical key of G-flat or G (depending on loop 177–179 length).
FIG. 10D is the same as 10C, except that both valves (170, 169) are engaged (both in the engaged second rotary operating position) such that air is diverted through both the F loop and the G-flat (or G) loop, combining the two loop lengths and converting the bass slide trombone to the musical key of D or E-flat (depending on loop 177–179 length being either approximately 28 inches, or approximately 20 inches, respectively).
Although in the past 100 years, advances have been seen in B-flat bass slide trombone design and performance characteristics, B-flat bass slide trombones have basic bore characteristics requiring significantly larger mouthpieces than tenor trombones. The combination of bass trombone bore and mouthpiece dimensions is so radically different from tenor trombone, that a majority of junior high (middle school), high school and even many college student trombonists do not successfully make the transition from tenor trombone to bass trombone, with a sound that can be heard in large jazz bands. There are exceptions of course, but the majority of students simply do not form the proper embouchure, or develop the necessary embouchure strength, flexibility, and breath control to play loudly and fluently throughout the performing range on a bass trombone. It must also be said that a proper bass trombone embouchure (positioning and tensioning (pursing) of the lips in a certain way to form a lip slit aperture of certain surprisingly small dimensions, supported by the requisite surrounding facial muscular tone, surrounding muscular rigidity, and surrounding muscular directional positioning in such a way as to firmly support a proper bass trombone lip slit aperture which however remains small, soft, pliable, and flexible at its center, as well as positioning of the jaw to eliminate overbite and create a certain precise, reproducible opening space between the teeth, and positioning and action of the tongue) is generally radically different from the tenor trombone embouchure which is typically taught to most young students when they first learn to play. The typical tenor trombone embouchure taught in most school music programs will simply not yield loud, fluent bass trombone playing throughout the performing range, despite the students' best efforts. It is generally too “smiley”, has insufficient and poorly directed surrounding facial muscle support, yields a lip slit aperture which is too large, has the jaw too far open, and is often plagued by overbite. Though it is certainly possible to teach a correct bass trombone embouchure, the reality is that this embouchure is not widely known by school band directors and instructors, and it is in fact generally known only to a surprisingly small number of trombone teachers, who typically happen to be excellent bass trombonists themselves, or once were bass trombonists. Since these particular specialty teachers are in the small minority, and the correct bass trombone embouchure is nearly impossible to adequately describe in printed words, the majority of trombone students never receive proper bass trombone instruction and never learn a bass trombone embouchure or a degree of breath control that will enable them to play loud and fluent bass trombone throughout its performing range. The vast majority of school jazz bands therefore do not have a bass trombonist who can be heard by audiences while the rest of the band is playing. Only a very few student bass trombonists either “stumble” on the right embouchure by “luck” while they experiment, or are lucky enough to have an unusual teacher who is a good bass trombonist and can systematically help the student develop the right embouchure set, embouchure strength, flexibility, and breath control to play bass trombone sufficiently loudly to be heard throughout the performing range, within a school jazz band. Even these few are likely to have learned this on their own or from a specialty private teacher, rather than the school band director, and they eventually graduate from the school without passing their knowledge on to another student, thus leaving behind a position in the band which may not be filled again with another strong student bass trombone player for years. This situation has improved only slightly in the past 100 years, so there remains a need to improve the loudness and fluency of bass trombone playing in school jazz bands nearly everywhere that they exist.
There remains also a need for more complete elimination of the air flow back-pressure and the performance stuffiness associated with prior art combinations of B-flat bass slide trombone valves, valve bores, and slide bores, and there also remains a desire for yet greater improvement in low octave performance responsiveness, greater improvement in low octave bass frequency response in B-flat bass trombones, and a desire for bass trombone-like instruments with louder more fluent playing capability for student musicians, with or without the valve or valves engaged.
Normally, louder playing may be achieved in the bass range with a larger bore brass instrument employing a larger mouthpiece such as the tuba illustrated in FIG. 11A, and with tuba players who have an embouchure development and breath control trained for and better suited to this larger mouthpiece and larger instrument bore than trombonists who are only accustomed to and properly trained for smaller mouthpieces and smaller instrument bores. Owing to a substantial conical bore expansion over most of its length, the tuba has greater amplifying power, and is much easier to play than bass trombone, which is of smaller bore and maintains an essentially constant cylindrical bore over a middle section of air path following an initial tapered lead pipe comprising approximately the first 8% of instrument length. The middle essentially constant cylindrical bore section of trombones typically comprises approximately 56% of total instrument main air path length. The tuba embouchure is also much easier to form and there is vastly improved understanding of (and familiarity with) the tuba embouchure by school band instructors, in general. Tubas and student tuba players are generally capable of more consistently providing the extra playing loudness required in the bass range of a jazz band brass section. However, a radical and pervasive conical bore expansion progresses over approximately 88% of the length of the tuba (see FIG. 11B, which is a rotary valve BB-flat tuba with valve tubing and linkages removed for uncluttered inspection of the main 216 inch BB-flat path and its conical bore expansion which begins in the lead pipe (5, 6) and is only briefly interrupted by a short section of valves (46–49) and valve interconnect tubing before resuming at 8 and being only briefly interrupted once more for the tuning slide (29) before continuing at 9 and proceeding to expand continually thereafter to the large bell flare (24). The very large tuba bell throat (20, 23) dimensions measuring, for example, approximately 7 inches in diameter at a point 10 inches back from the bell flare (24) end of a Miraphone 4/4 S186 BB-flat tuba, and the pervasive conical bore expansion collectively make tubas more amplifying and easier to play, but also give them a “tubby” sound quality. They are easy to play loud and fluently, but due to the very large bell throat and due to having only approximately 12% of overall main path instrument length in cylindrical bore tubing, they sound “tubby” and do not sound at all like a bass trombone. They do not blend well tonally with a jazz trombone section. Tubas are therefore normally excluded from modern school jazz bands.
It is however useful for the purposes of this patent to explore other possibilities for taking advantage of the power and consistently loud and fluent playing that most student tubists' embouchure training and breath control is inherently capable of delivering in bass range brass instrument playing. For example, instead of using an actual tuba which is loud, but has a conical bore expansion over most (approximately 88%) of its tubing length and has a very large bell throat (see 23 in FIG. 11A), and which produces the wrong tone quality for jazz trombone sections, the student tubist might conceivably be given another three valved or four valved bass brass instrument on which they might also perform loudly, but which has an essentially constant cylindrical bore over a majority (for example approximately 56%) of this instrument tubing length, and which further has a smaller throated bell, less than 3 inches in throat diameter, measured 10 inches back from the end of the bell flare, collectively yielding a tone quality which sounds like a powerful bass trombone. Modern piston valve B-flat trombones and B-flat marching trombones such as the ones seen in FIGS. 1B–D exhibit a cylindrical bore, following a tapered lead pipe, pervading over approximately 56% of their length and have a conical bore expansion progressing only over the remaining 44% of their length, and they also have small bell throats (23), but they are far too small in cylindrical bore size to fill this need in the bass performing range, and they only have three valves which, when pitched in B-flat with 108 inches of main path tubing as they normally are, leaves an unacceptable range of missing musical notes from low E-flat to low B, which renders jazz bass trombone playing impractical on these instruments. A few prior art three-valved trombones with main paths pitched in F were produced many years ago by Besson, but this trombone exhibited far too small of a cylindrical bore (0.485–0.535 inch bore) to perform well as a bass trombone, and it has been largely abandoned for lack of interest and utility. It was furthermore missing notes in the range of pedal B-flat to pedal G-flat and from BB-flat to GG-flat, but the main difficulty is that student tubists generally do not know valve fingering patterns for performing on F instruments while reading “concert key” music, so this historical valved F trombone by Besson is also unsuited to modern jazz bass trombone playing by student tuba players. However, larger cylindrical bore (and maintaining the large cylindrical bore over at least approximately 45% of main path tubing length) prior art instruments with four or five valves, and which can be performed loudly by tubists, and which do not have a missing range of bass notes, and which can blend tonally with trombone sections, are available in the form of the contrabass valve trombones or cimbassos pitched in E-flat or F and made by Rudolf Meinl, Meinl-Weston, Thein, and Kalison, and which are currently used on the fourth trombone part in operatic pit orchestras for the works of Verdi, Puccini, and Wagner.
Though cimbassos and contrabass valve trombones are unfamiliar to a majority of student musicians and school band directors, descriptions of prior art cimbassos and contrabass valve trombones, including E-flat and F-cimbassos and the original historical BB-flat “Trombone Basso Verdi” (also classified as a BB-flat contrabass valve trombone or BB-flat cimbasso) may be found in T.U.B.A Journal (volume 23, number 2, winter 1996, pp. 50–53), in “The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, e.d Stanley Sadie, Macmillan Ltd, London, 2001, v.5 (pp. 856–858), and on the Edinburgh Museum website (http://www.music.ed.ac.uk/euchmi/ucj/ucjth3.html, see especially exhibit 2532 which may be directly accessed at http://www.music.ed.ac.uk.euchmi/ucj/ucjg2532.jpg), and also on corporate internet websites of the Meinl-Weston, Rudolf Meinl, and Thein companies in Germany. These cimbassos and contrabass trombones, as illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13 and as first conceived by Verdi and first produced for him by Pelitti in 1881 are valved instruments playable by tuba players and they could theoretically yield a powerful bass trombone sound capable of blending tonally with modern jazz trombone sections, however cimbassos with trombone shaped bells are currently only available in the musical keys of E-flat and F (˜144 inch total main path tubing length), for which typically only professional tuba players and tuba performance majors in music schools (at colleges and universities) are motivated to learn the valve fingerings. There is a CC cimbasso by Rudolf Meinl, but it has a euphonium shaped bell, does not sound like a bass trombone, and the CC fingerings are generally known only to professional tubists and tuba performance majors.
Middle school and secondary school student tuba players or “non-major” tubists at small colleges would have the required “wind” to play an F cimbasso or F contrabass slide trombone loudly, but they typically only know BB-flat or B-flat valve fingerings, and virtually none of them know any trombone slide positions at all. Student tubists (middle and secondary schoolers and college non-majors) generally do not know CC, E-flat, or F cimbasso valve fingerings, and they are generally not likely to invest the time to learn either trombone slide positions or the CC, E-flat, or F cimbasso valve fingerings for the school jazz band. F cimbasso fingerings in particular are also very awkward in rapid moving passages from pedal B-flat to pedal G-flat. For example the bass range chromatic sequence (below the bass clef staff) of B-flat, A, A-flat, G, and G-flat would be fingered 54, 234, 134, 5134, and 51234, respectively on an F-cimbasso, and this is quite an awkward pattern for anyone to play quickly. It also uses many more fingers than the simple finger pattern 0, 2, 1, 3, and 23, respectively for the same chromatic note progression, and which students already know for the BB-flat tuba.
It is clear that any instrument which it is hoped that student tuba players (middle schoolers, secondary schoolers, and college non-majors) and their band directors will universally accept for them to play, in order to replace the bass slide trombone in school jazz bands should, for practical purposes of widespread acceptance by the music education market, should be a three or four valved instrument with a trombone shaped bell, and should be pitched in BB-flat or B-flat, and should not be pitched in the typical available prior art cimbasso keys of CC, E-flat, or F, so this excludes virtually all present day cimbassos from widespread market acceptance in replacing the jazz bass slide trombone in school jazz bands. Prior art E-flat, F, and CC cimbassos are therefore not used in school jazz bands, owing to a lack of student tubist knowledge and familiarity with E-flat, F, and CC valve fingerings, and to the “tubby” sound of large throat CC cimbasso bells.
Historically, there once were BB-flat cimbassos and BB-flat contrabass valve trombones. The original “Trombone Basso Verdi” conceived by Verdi and produced for him by Pelitti in 1881 was actually in the key of BB-flat. These early instruments were, in fact, all in the fundamental musical key of BB-flat which is the key and has the valve fingerings most familiar to student tubists in today's secondary and middle schools. However, these historical BB-flat instruments were all very difficult to blow, due to large single-valued constant cylindrical bores persisting over great length (e.g. approximately 190 inches) and which do not yield much amplification. Without the amplifying power of a gradual conical bore expansion or a modestly stepped cylindrical bore progression, these instruments were difficult to blow and generally the player would have to blow very hard to get a good sound. The player would then tire quickly and it was also difficult to play softly with a good tone quality. Due to bore-related blowing difficulties and a general lack of foresight concerning potential future application in today's big student jazz bands, recognizing that jazz bands did not exist in the time of Verdi and Pelitti, these Italian BB-flat “Trombone Basso Verdi's” or BB-flat contrabass valve trombones originating in 1881 were abandoned in the 1930's and are no longer used by either music students or professional musicians of today. They have been relegated to museums. Today's professional cimbasso players are generally operatic tubists who primarily use the better designed, but still somewhat difficult to blow, modern E-flat or F cimbassos in operatic pit orchestras. The fact that many trombonists today have not seen and don't know about F or E-flat cimbassos may be due to their nearly exclusive use in professional operatic pit orchestras, where the orchestra is hidden from view, and also due to the fact that normally a tuba player plays the F-cimbasso in the operatic pit, rather than a trombonist. So, tubists are actually more familiar with the modern F and E-flat cimbasso than trombonists.
Prior art cylindrical bore BB-flat brass instruments generally play or played poorly, and most have been abandoned to museums. The few remaining BB-flat contrabass quadro-slide trombones are very “clumsy” and are only produced in very small numbers (probably less than two or three per year world-wide by Thein, Haag, and Miraphone) and are generally terrible playing and bad sounding instruments due to non-optimized cylindrical slide bores which are generally too small, despite what their manufacturers and a very small selected minority of “eccentrics” may claim. There remains a need for a BB-flat cylindrical bore brass instrument with optimized bores and amplifying bore progressions, and a trombone shaped bell which blows easily (responsively) and consistently plays well and sounds good. There further remains a need for a valved BB-flat or CC instrument, playable by tuba players, and which is responsive, easy blowing, and which sounds like a good, powerful bass trombone rather than a bad baritone, a poor euphonium, or a cheap tuba. The BB-flat instrument is needed by student tubists for jazz bands. The CC instrument would be greatly appreciated by professional operatic tubists.
In order for student tubists to replace student bass trombonists in school jazz bands, there finally remains a need for development of a bass valve trombone or contrabass valve trombone or cimbasso which has a bore and an amplifying cylindrical bore progression over a majority of its tubing length, and a mouthpiece which allows the instrument to be played loudly, fluently, and easily by student tuba players, having a tone quality similar to that of a powerful bass trombone so as to blend tonally with jazz trombone sections, and being pitched in musical keys such as 216 inch BB-flat or 192 inch CC for which student tuba players and professional operatic tubists, respectively, may already know the valve fingerings. There finally remains a desire to shorten valve stroke, reduce valve friction, improve valve operational smoothness, reduce required valve spring tension, enable a more nimble-fingered musical performance, and lighten the overall weight of a BB-flat instrument to be used for sectional jazz bass trombone playing, or of CC, F, or E-flat instruments to be used in operatic pit orchestras.
Alternatively, a need remains for a 108 inch B-flat bass valve trombone with at least four valves and a cylindrical bore or amplifying stepped cylindrical bore progression over a majority of its length, and a bell shape to maintain an acceptable bass trombone tone quality, along with a mouthpiece which, in combination with a cylindrical bore or amplifying stepped cylindrical bore progression which eliminates backpressure issues of prior art B-flat valve trombones and bass slide trombones and which allows a student tuba player to play easily, loudly, and fluently with a minimum of relearning required in terms of either embouchure, breath control, or valve fingerings. There further remains a need for addition of a fourth valve to create a 108 inch B-flat bass valve trombone, and the fourth valve would fill in the missing range from low E-flat to low B, however with a simple 4-valved invention instrument it is recognized that there would be severe tuning issues arising in the range of low E-flat to low B.
In any B-flat low brass instrument, such as a prior art euphonium, or the valve trombone of FIGS. 1B–C, valves 1–3 (V1–V3; 46–48) normally have corresponding external length extension tubing loops (32, 35, 37) which chromatically alter the pitch when the valves are engaged. These loops are of length dimensions to provide reasonably accurate tuning for desired tuneful chromatic pitch alteration from the main key of B-flat, and each loop progressively provides an appropriate approximate 5.946% “compounding” percentage length extension beyond the basic B-flat 108 inch tubing length to give the desired tuneful chromatic pitch alterations from the fundamental B-flat key. However, when valve 4 (V4) of a simple B-flat 4-valved euphonium is engaged to facilitate the bass range from low E to low B-natural, suddenly the instrument is lengthened to 144 inches of total tubing and becomes pitched in the musical key of F. Further engaging of simple euphonium valves V1–V3 simultaneously with valve V4 means that the same three external tubing loops are added to the main path, however, they are now added to a 144 inch F path rather than a 108 inch B-flat path, and since they are not correspondingly longer themselves, they represent a smaller (and incorrect) percentage length extension beyond 144 inches than the extension they made, when engaged, beyond 108 inches. Because the percentage length extension of valve loops 1–3 is reduced in they key of F with V4 engaged, the chromatic intervals are therefore “wrong” and the V1–V3-altered pitches (with V4 also engaged) are too “sharp”, since the external length extension tubing loops of valves 1–3 are too short to give the same percentage length extension beyond a 144 inch F total as they did beyond a 108 inch B-flat total. This is a classic B-flat 4-valve euphonium tuning issue, and it explains why prior art bass valved instruments are almost never pitched in B-flat. The simple prior art euphonium is typically used for higher pitched (tenor range) playing in ensembles, and the bass range of low E-flat to low B is typically not scored for euphonium in ensemble works.
In a BB-flat tuba, the overall main path tubing is twice as long (˜216 inches) and the fundamental pitch is an octave lower, so this particular tuning problem—namely combinations of valves 1–3 with valve 4, is also deferred one octave lower, where even tuba music is only rarely written. So for BB-flat tubas, the tuning issue associated with combinations of valve 4 with valves 1–3 is deferred to a lower octave, low EE-flat to low BB, where performance is rare, even for the tuba. Rarity of performance in this range makes the tuning issue relatively unimportant for BB-flat tubas. When occasionally confronted with performance below a low EE, 3-valve BB-flat tuba players will “ghost” the notes or play the passage an octave higher, and astute 4-valve BB-flat tuba players will just finger the passage a half step flatter than written, while “‘lipping’ the pitch ‘up’” by an automatic gentle tightening of the embouchure in cases where a half step lower fingering is actually too much flattening of the pitch to compensate for excessively short valve tubing loops for the range EE-flat–BB-natural.
In a simple B-flat 4-valve euphonium, the tuning issue is severe from low E-flat to low B, but euphoniums are not normally used for bass range band and ensemble playing, and their parts are typically written much higher, instead. The problem is thus simply avoided for ensemble playing by playing the simple euphonium in higher ranges where V4 isn't needed, and the low E-flat–B tuning problems do not arise.
It is primarily in in euphonium solo works where the low E-flat–low B range may be encountered, and for this purpose a tuning “compensation” system has evolved for better quality euphoniums, originating with the 1891 U.S. Pat. No. (457,337) of Fountaine Besson. With compensated euphoniums, more complex valves with extra internal passages are employed to reroute air for additional detouring through a second set of external length extension tubing loops when valves 1–3 are engaged simultaneously with valve 4. This is illustrated for a prior art compensated in-line four piston valve euphonium in FIGS. 14A–C. It should be noted that this particular compensated Willson model 2975 euphonium is a little unusual and was chosen for illustration because the unusual four-in-line piston valve arrangement is pertinent to tuba players. In B-flat, with only valves 1–3 engaged (46–48), the first set of tubing loops (32, 35, 37) is active and the second set (32F, 35F, 37F) is bypassed. When valve 4 (49) is engaged simultaneously with valves 1–3 (46–48), the instrument is automatically converted to the key of F, and the second set of external length extension tubing loops (32F, 35F, 37F) adds length remotely in series with the first set (32, 35, 37) so that a well tuned chromatic pitch alteration is made as a proper percentage increment to 144 inches (key of F), rather than to just 108 inches (key of B-flat). So when V1 (46) and V4 (49) are both engaged, the secondary V1 tubing loop (32F) adds its length remotely in series to the primary V1 tubing loop (32), and both V1 loops (32, 32F) are active. The same goes for V2 (47) and V3 (48) when engaged simultaneously with V4 (49). Both sets of external tubing loops (32, 35, 37, and 32F, 35F, 37F) are active whenever V4 (49) is simultaneously engaged with V1–V3 (46–48) in single or multiple combinations.
Compensated euphoniums are thereby well tuned, even in the range of low E-flat to low B, but they still exhibit a conical bore expansion over a majority of their 108 inch main B-flat path, and they have a large bell throat diameter. As a result they sound somewhat “tubby” and do not have the right tone qualities to blend adequately with a jazz trombone section. Also, as the V1 drawing of FIG. 4C illustrates, the internal valve piston complexity of compensated 4 valve euphoniums is such that air may traverse up to fourteen different internal valve piston passages for engagement of all four valves for a low B-natural, versus only eight internal piston passages for a low B-natural in a simple 4 piston valve euphonium. The inherent stuffiness incurred with euphonium piston valves is therefore multiplied by passage through up to six extra valve ports and six extra piston passages to play a low B-natural in a compensated four valve euphonium, and therefore compensated euphoniums play “stuffy” and exhibit significant back-pressure from low E-flat to low B. Simple 4 valve euphoniums do not necessarily play stuffy in that range, but they are badly out of tune (on the sharp side). Alternate fingerings (one half step lower than normal) may be applied from low E-flat to low C on a simple 4-valve euphonium such that low C is played Pitches must still be corrected by the embouchure, low B-natural is not accessible, and the alternate fingerings are not widely known by students.
As an “aside”, there remains a need for a B-flat euphonium with at least four valves to access the range from low E-flat to low B, and being able to do that without being out of tune, without requiring alternate fingerings combined with radical embouchure pitch corrections, and without developing excess back-pressure leading to stuffy performance characteristics in this range. This “aside” is for euphonium players only, and even if the euphonium need were to be met, such an improved euphonium would still not address the bass trombone need in school jazz bands, because the euphonium tone quality does not suit the bass trombone needs of a jazz trombone section.
There finally remains a need for a B-flat bass valve trombone with at least four valves to access the range from low E-flat to low B, and being able to do that without being out of tune or developing excess back-pressure leading to stuffy performance characteristics. The B-flat bass valve trombone should have a cylindrical bore or bore progression over a majority of the 108 inch main air path which maintains easy blowing characteristics for bass trombonists or tubists, and which has a powerful bass trombone tone quality, loudly playable by student tubists or strong bass trombonists, or student euphonium players, and which has a bell throat dimension which collectively creates a sound quality that blends tonally with modern jazz trombone sections.
A need also exists for a 3 valve B-flat tenor trombone which blows more responsively and may be more aptly playable by extra trumpeters and euphonium players in school jazz bands, where insufficient numbers of tenor slide trombonists exist to fill the ranks.